Physics Study Guide/Circular Motion

Uniform Circular Motion Speed and frequency thumb|A two dimensional polar co-ordinate system. The point can be located in 2D plane as in Cartesian coordinate system or in polar coordinate system Uniform circular motion assumes that an object is moving (1) in circular motion, and (2) at constant speed ; then 1.5em where is the radius of the circular path, and is the time period for one revolution. Any object travelling on a circle will return to its original starting point in the period of one revolution, . At this point the object has travelled a distance . If is the time that it takes to travel distance then the object's speed is 1.5em where Angular frequency Uniform circular motion can be explicitly described in terms of polar coordinates through angular frequency, : 1.5em where is the angular coordinate of the object (see the diagram on the right-hand side for reference). Since the speed in uniform circular motion is constant, it follows that 1.5em From that fact, a number of useful relations follow: 1.5em The equations that relate how changes with time are analogous to those of linear motion at constant speed. In particular, 1.5em The angle at , , is commonly referred to as phase. Velocity, centripetal acceleration and force The position of an object in a plane can be converted from polar to cartesian coordinates through the equations 1.5em Expressing as a function of time gives equations for the cartesian coordinates as a function of time in uniform circular motion: 1.5em Differentiation with respect to time gives the components of the velocity vector: 1.5em Velocity in circular motion is a vector tangential to the trajectory of the object. Furthermore, even though the speed is constant the velocity vector changes direction over time. Further differentiation leads to the components of the acceleration (which are just the rate of change of the velocity components): 1.5em The acceleration vector is perpendicular to the velocity and oriented towards the centre of the circular trajectory. For that reason, acceleration in circular motion is referred to as centripetal acceleration. The absolute value of centripetal acceleration may be readily obtained by 1.5em For centripetal acceleration, and therefore circular motion, to be maintained a centripetal force must act on the object. From Newton's Second Law it follows directly that the force will be given by 1.5em the components being 1.5em and the absolute value 1.5em thumbtime=5:44|middle|720px|Example of finding the centripetal acceleration of moon in orbit.